PSE’s Frank Pearson Says When You’re at the Top Why Go Back to the Bottom

PSE’s Frank Pearson

Editor’s Note: Frank and Becky Pearson had climbed to the top of the competitive archery world and shot and worked for several archery companies. They were more or less retired. Although Frank Pearson was burned out on professional archery, he still enjoyed attending tournaments and shooting with and helping amateurs learn how to shoot better.

Frank Pearson says, “When Pete Shepley asked Becky and me to start shooting PSE bows competitively again, I said, ‘I’ll only return to competitive archery, if you’ll let me shoot with the people who buy bows, not the ones to whom manufacturers give bows. I believe we can help PSE more by shooting in the non-pro division of archery, because the people we’re shooting with and against will be the people who actually buy PSE bows. I feel that by being a representative for PSE, my wife and I can serve PSE customers better by learning the problems they have at the tournaments we attend. When we were shooting with the pros every week, mostly what we heard were the professionals whining about the companies they represented. They hardly ever talked about how the equipment might need to be modified to make it shoot better or easier. But, when we shoot with the amateurs, we learn about the problems they have in shooting their bows.

“Too, many of them have the same problem that the president of PSE Pete Shepley had when I met with him and coached him on how to shoot better. I can help those amateurs learn how to shoot better, and I really like the feeling I get when I help people solve archery problems and shoot their bows better than they were shooting when they met me. Pete’s problem, which is the same problem many archers have, was that he’d pull the bow back and not give himself time to collect his thoughts before he released the arrow. I believe that one of the most important elements to shooting accurately, whether you’re a bowhunter, a target archer or just enjoy shooting the bow in the backyard, is to develop a shot routine.”

Pearson believes that developing a good shot routine is one of the most critical elements to shooting accurately. But, the way you learn, practice and develop your shot routine is even more important than having a shot routine. As Pearson explains, “For instance, if you’re going to go to the store to buy four or five items, you’ve numbered each one of those items and written each item down beside the number, and then when you reach the store, you’ve forgotten your list, you probably can remember five or so of the items, if you had eight items on your original list, because you’d numbered those items. However, if you haven’t made a list, then when you get to the store, you may not remember any of the items that you’ve planned to buy or perhaps very few. So, I believe that writing down each step on a piece of paper that you have to complete before you release the arrow is the best way to learn a shot routine and to imprint that shot routine into your brain. Then you’ll know exactly what to do when the time comes to take the shot.”

Although writing down your shot routine may seem to be over simplistic, this technique helped Pete Shepley shoot accurately when he faced dangerous game. This routine has helped bowhunters deliver the arrow to the spot on the animal where they’re aiming, and it’s helped target archers shoot their best scores.

Tomorrow: PSE’s Frank Pearson Says that Even with a Peep Sight You Still Can Miss a Target

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